Your Coca-Cola Bottler presents, Claudia. Music Claudia, based on the original stories by Rose Franken. Brought to you transcribed Monday through Friday by your friendly neighbor who bottles Coca-Cola. Relax, and while you're listening, refresh yourself. Have a Coke. And now, Claudia. I'm coming, I'm coming. Quiet, major, quiet. Please, that's a good major. It's all right, major. Go on, go on. Now go on back to sleep again. I'm coming, stop ringing. Oh, get out of my way, you chair. Mom, I thought you were David. Why'd you ring the bell? You woke the dog up. This is a fine welcome. Where is that monster? Don't let him jump on me, please. And why should David come home at four o'clock in the afternoon? He'll be dizzy one question at a time. It's contagious. Come on in, but quietly, please. I'm not in the habit of stamping. What is all this? Now I know. Claudia, has the dog turned vicious? He didn't bite you, did he? Don't be silly, Molly. He doesn't have to bite. All he has to do is bark, and he scares people to death. Molly, come in now. I want to tell you what happened yesterday when I brought him home. You know the revolving door downstairs? Mm-hmm. Well, it was revolving today. I mean, yesterday it was revolving. You know, it wasn't flat open like it sometimes is. And? Well, we got in all right, and then just as we started to go forward, the door hit him from behind. I get the picture. He didn't like it. That is an understatement, Mrs. Brown. I hate to brag about my own dog, but his reactions were not normal. What do you mean? Instead of jumping forward so we could have been in the lobby, he just stops. Just stops then. He... he just stops? He tried going backwards. It hit him in the nose. Whichever way he went, the door hit him in the other end. He didn't get mad or anything. He just sat down. And? And people inside the apartment wanted to get out. People outside wanted to get in. And nobody got anywhere. Not for a long time. I was very mortified. Well, where is he now? Gone to sleep, I hope. Oh, well, you look like you could stand a little rest yourself. You look terrible. We didn't sleep much all night. You look like you had three small babies all at once. The word is trippin'. I feel like it, too. Well, what's wrong, Claudia? Tell me. Nothing's wrong. I've never been happier in my life. Neither's David. Then why is he coming home in the middle of the afternoon? I phoned him, too. In words of one syllable, why? To help me take Major out. Can he go out by himself, a big dog like that? No. Well, I'm trying to find it out. Why can't he? I'm getting to it. Don't wait. Shhh. I guess you must be getting used to your voice by now. I'm flattered. Here's David. Thank goodness. Oh, darling, you're wonderful. You got here in no time. What did you do, fly? Yeah, I had to fly out of a meeting. Where is he? Oh, beautiful, gorgeous. I'm more crazy about him every minute. Darling, he knows you. Sure, he knows me. Hi, old fella. Hello, Major old boy. There you are, good old fella. Hello, David. Oh, hello, mother. Isn't this some pup, huh? Some household. Be careful of that lamp. Is this Mr. Tucker's second lamp he busted today? Mom, I have a whole list of things you have to buy that he broke. Are you helpless? I can't leave him and I can't take him either. What is all this? Heavy analogy to fresh air? If so, you're in an even worse mess than I thought. We'll get him out all right, don't you worry. Did he eat his lunch at Claude's? Everything in the house. All the rest of the hamburger. He craved more so I gave him a couple of raw eggs and a can of beans. Oh. It was all I had and he adored it. Come on, where's his leash? Want to go out, old fella? Oh, sure. Hey, wait a minute. I'll go with you. Did you get the cod liver oil? I ordered it over the phone. It hasn't come yet. Why does Claudia need cod liver oil? Well, she doesn't. She's strong as a horse. It's for the dog. I'm going home. Hey, don't you like him? Come on, Major. Come on, old boy. Say hello to your nice mother-in-law. I am not his mother-in-law. That's right. What am I talking about? You're his grandmother. He's licking my head. Stop it, will you? That's my glove. Give it to him. He just wants to play. And I want my glove. David, what's gotten into you? You're both acting like imbeciles over that dog. And coming home in the middle of the day. How do you expect to earn enough to feed him? This is an emergency, Mama. He hasn't been out yet. He must have. Well, you mean he should have. Wasn't he out last night? Claudia brought him home late and he didn't seem anxious to. It was raining. He doesn't like rain. And this morning? Why didn't he like... What didn't he like this morning? Well, I wanted to take him for a walk before breakfast, but I had an early appointment. Claudia said she'd do it. Well, why didn't she? You'll see why I didn't. Here's his leash. Come on. Come and wear this, Mama. I don't see much pleasure in staying here by myself. She loves the dog, David. She's too proud to say so. Sure she does. She's going to spoil him to death. Come on, old boy. That's a boy. Hey, don't knock me over. Look, he wants to go out. Well, naturally. Why, you two children didn't take him out before I did. Now, Major, Major, I want the whole household to know you're awake. The whole street knows it after last night. He made himself night watchman of the entire neighborhood out the window. Every time anybody walked past, he barked. You'll have to get rid of him. Over my dead body. Over my dead one, too. Oh, you're mad, both of you. Why don't you use the elevator? He doesn't like elevators. Besides, we don't want to call too much attention to him. David could put him in his pocket. Now, don't be bitter, Mother. Here we are, Major. Come on. Come on. Come down the steps, old boy. Well, go on. Come on, old boy. Why is he stopping? That's why. He doesn't like steps, either. Come on, old boy. Come on. I'm beginning to see. You push from the back, Claudia. I'll pull. He doesn't move. He's nailed to the floor. Somebody must have frightened him about steps. Come on, you big sissy. What are you going to do? He can't stay in the apartment day after day without a breath of fresh air, the poor thing. Isn't she cute? We'll get him some air, Mother. Don't you worry. Here we go, Major. Come on. David, you can't carry him. That's what you think. Here we go, Major. Up we go. He weighs 300 pounds. Only 150. Come on. He loves it. You know, he seems a little quiet for Major. Yes, he's burning our candle at both its ends. He keeps us up all night and then he sleeps in the middle of the afternoon. Well, it wasn't such a bad idea. After Major settled down, we got a bit of a nap before dinner, too, didn't we? It was fun to take a nap in the middle of the afternoon, like Sundays. I'm a respectable architect. Don't expect me to make a practice of it. Say, Claudia. Hmm? What did you do with Mr. Tucker's goldfish? Did you put him in the globe with the other one? No, he's right there on the table by the window. Is he? The bowl is. Exactly. But it's empty. David, that was the noise we heard last night. Which noise? Take your thoughts. Don't you remember? You heard water or something? We prowled all over the house looking for all the poor fish. Oh, I really don't think Major likes fish, darling. I think he was just thirsty and inhaled the fish by accident. Can't live or I'll be better and a lot less expensive. I asked to tell Mom and Dad one tropical fish to the list I gave them. Maybe you better get two. We ought to have a spare just to be on the safe side. That's the house telephone. Here, I'll talk to those people downstairs. What's the matter with them anyway? The pup hasn't made any noise tonight at all. He's been asleep ever since supper. He jumps in his sleep. Maybe that's it. So you better let me talk to him. Sure, go ahead. Hello? Who? Who? For us? Oh, I see. We'll send him up. Who was it? It's funny, David, a Mr. Morgan in the lobby to see us. We don't know anybody by the name of Morgan, do we? Morgan. Sounds awfully familiar, but I just can't place it. Probably somebody wanting to sell us a vacuum cleaner or an encyclopedia. They only do that in the daytime. Morgan, where did I hear that name? There he is now. Better hold Major, Claudia. I'll open the door. I beg your pardon. Is this Mr. Norton? I can't hold the dog, David. Quick! Look out there. The dog won't bite, but he'll probably knock you over. Ah, now Major, old boy. You glad to see me, old fellow? He acts like he knows you. Of course he knows me. I am Major. Quiet down, old boy. Oh, not that, Mr. Morgan. Now I remember. What Mr. Morgan? The Mr. Morgan that Major belongs to. I thought he belonged to us. Down, down, Major, old fellow. Now, now, now, down. That's a good boy. Well, look here, Mr. Norton. I'm most awfully sorry about this. I do trust you won't mind giving him up. Give him up? Well, that's rather a blow, Mr. Morgan. Of course, if there's been any misunderstanding about price, I'd be more than willing to. Oh, but look here. It was never a question of money. It was just a question of finding a good home for him. The apartment is awfully small, Mr. Morgan, but we do love him and he'll have every convenience. Yeah, but sir, I'm sure of that, Mr. Norton. Then why do we have to give him up? The truth of the matter is my wife doesn't like dogs. And by gad, a man oughtn't to be separated from his dog just because a woman doesn't want her house, mister. Well, you have something there, Mr. Morgan. Yes, what's a house compared with a dog? Exactly. I think I'm beginning to understand. You want Major back. Is that it, Mr. Morgan? Well, frankly, I'm at your mercy. Of course, if you had had him any length of time, I wouldn't feel right in asking you, but... It's only been overnight, but it feels like forever. I just can't let him go. Now, look here, Claudia. We might as well be sports about it. Mr. Morgan's right. No man ought to be separated from his dog. I know I wouldn't let anybody separate me from you, David. So if Major wants to go back to Mr. Morgan, Major, do you want to go back? I guess that settles it. I say you are sporting about it, you two. No, I'm not. I think I'm going to cry. Oh, I see. No, it's all right. Let her go. See you get over it. You've got a pretty swell pup there, Mr. Morgan. It's a pleasure to have known him, even for a short time. Sort of makes a man realize what he's missing. If you don't mind my saying so, Mr. Norton, watching you and Mrs. Norton just now... Well, it sort of makes me realize what I've been missing, too. Goodbye. Thank you. Thank you. Goodbye, Mr. Morgan. So long, Major. Bark, bark, bark, bark. David? Yes, dear, I'm coming. Is Major gone? Yes, he's gone. Poor chap. Why, poor chap. He wanted to go in spite of all that. In spite of all the hamburger. I wasn't talking about Major, Claudia. I was talking about Mr. Morgan. He has his dog back. But he hasn't got you. Oh, David, do you love me as much as that? As much as that and a million times more. Isn't it funny? Major stayed just long enough to cement our marriage. And break a lamp, eat a goldfish, and a few other things. Place does seem awfully big and empty without him, doesn't it? Never mind, darling. It'll get small again in the morning when I start to shave. Music All story material used in this broadcast of Claudia was under the supervision of Rose Franken and William Brown Maloney. Music There's a pretty new sight in the stores these days. We're talking about the cases of Coca-Cola that you see once more in stores all around town. You see, there's more Coke available now. So make a mental note to have your service station attendant put a case of Coca-Cola in your car the next time you stop for gas. Music Every day, Monday through Friday, Claudia comes to you transcribed with the best wishes of your friendly neighbor who bottles Coca-Cola. So listen again tomorrow at the same time. And now this is Joe King saying, au revoir and remember, whoever you are, whatever you do, wherever you may be, when you think of refreshment, think of Coca-Cola. For ice cold Coca-Cola makes any pause the pause that refreshes. Music